Jaws drop as sought-after homes sell strongly at auction

A huge family home at 79 Bent St, Moonee Ponds soared past reserve at auction.

Buyers put their best foot forward for quality properties under the hammer at the weekend, helping to produce some strong sale results.

A picture-perfect Moonee Ponds property proved quality houses were still in demand.

The huge family home at 79 Bent St sold $200,000 above reserve for $2.7 million at auction.

RELATED: Bentleigh bungalow sparks bidding battle between families

BYO torches for boarded-up ex-commission home in Glenroy’s auction

Three-year hunt ends in Coburg North townhouse bidding battle victory

The large block sold under the hammer for $2.7 million.

The opening bid blew many hopeful buyers out of the water.

Frank Dowling agent Christian Lonzi said the buyer dropped an unexpected opening bid, which immediately hit the reserve price and set a competitive tone for the auction.

“The buyer was really smart about the way they bid and we saw a few jaws drop in the crowd when he started the auction at $2.5 million,” Mr Lonzi said.

“We had two bidders on the day, but knew there were five or six people before the auction interested.”

A luxe pool is on the 961sq m block.

The property still offered good value in Moonee Ponds for its size, Mr Lonzi said.

Despite selling at a premium, the three-storey, six-bedroom house on a 961sq m block still offered great value for Moonee Ponds, he added.

Another auction in Bentleigh also hit reserve price on the opening bid, proving buyers were determined to break into the market.

The three-bedroom house at 21 Burgess St started at $950,000 and passed $1 million after six bids in just 16 seconds. It finally sold to a first-home buyer couple at a $170,000 premium for $1.12 million.

Luke and Zoe Conley with their baby daughter Addison celebrated the sale of their Bentleigh beauty. Picture: Tony Gough

CoreLogic recorded a 56.8 per cent preliminary clearance rate from 438 recorded results, with the early figure closely reflecting last week’s final rate of 56.6 per cent.

There are 365 properties going under the hammer in Melbourne next Saturday, as Australians head to the polls to vote.

CoreLogic’s Australian head of real estate Geoff White said he did not expect next weekend’s federal election to affect the clearance rate.

11 Davis Ave, South Yarra was bought by an investor.

Investors competed for a number of popular properties at the weekend.

“There are less properties up for auction, which might play into those vendors’ hands because the buyers are still there,” Mr White said.